Some Use Travel Trailers, PMRVs As Overflow

Like many families this Fourth of July holiday week, the Barkers of Seattle are glamping in a travel trailer, surrounded by home-style luxuries while seeing the Oregon scenery at Lake Billy Chinook, then Crater Lake, The Oregonian reported.

Campsites are busy, but on Wednesday, they pulled into Ashland without reserving a spot. That’s because they’re staying on the street in front of Martin Barker’s parents’ house.

Call it curbside camping or garage-gating, staying at the old homestead has never been so private or so much fun. That’s because a family house, even one with four bedrooms like Martin Barker’s parents’, quickly fills up when grown children, their spouses and their kids come to visit. Who doesn’t need extra space?

Tiny-house advocates and companies that sell accessory dwelling units and park model RVs (PMRVs) have long touted small buildings as good guesthouses and more people are accepting the challenge of living in about 100 square feet.

Although tiny houses are usually set up in the backyard, it’s legal to park a travel trailer for a few days on a residential street, says Kevin Flynn, Ashland’s code compliance officer, providing it is not obstructing traffic or drivers’ vision.

“If you’re worried a neighbor will complain, park your trailer in the driveway and put the cars on the street,” he says. “But I don’t know of anyone getting hassled about it, since it’s not camping on public streets.”